Frigid temperatures likely caused spotty freeze damage to winter wheat in parts of the U.S. Plains early on Friday but two storms next week should bring beneficial moisture, an agricultural meteorologist said.

The spread of exotic and aggressive strains of a plant fungus is presenting a serious threat to wheat production in the UK, according to research published in Genome Biology. The research uses a new surveillance technique that could be applied internationally to respond to the spread of a wide variety of plant diseases.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of Instinct II nitrogen stabilizer in wheat. Instinct II keeps more nitrogen available in the root zone for enhanced wheat health and optimized yield and profit potential.

A new study co-authored by University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers has unearthed the genetic roots of resistance to a wheat disease that has recently devastated crop yields from southern Africa through the Middle East.

The European Union led the world in wheat production and exports in 2014-15. Yet Europe is also the region where productivity has slowed the most. Yields of major crops have not increased as much as would be expected over the past 20 years, based on past productivity increases and innovations in agriculture.

By Molly Hamilton, Extension Assistant, Crop Science, North Carolina State University February 23, 2015

Properly timed spring nitrogen applications are essential to the growth and development of wheat. Assessing nitrogen needs now will optimize yield later and is especially important for organic grain growers.